Chapter 8: Chapter 07- Oh, Come On

We had gotten most of the luggage up to the wagons, and now, Lorio was standing in front of us, the bus behind him, catching his breath. 

"So, Mitch's group is just taking water and some of the fowls they hunted up to the wagons--yes. Mitch caught some of the wild fowl. He took down some of the crows too, which, I'm sure we can all agree was appreciated. They'll be coming back here to pick up the last of the luggage and will walk up with us. The log pinning Susy--we're about to saw through it, but we need as many hands on it the moment it falls loose. If we don't have hands pulling on it, the girl gets crushed when we loosen it up."

With the orders given, we moved and climbed into the bus behind Lorio.

"We're almost there, but we're almost at twilight too... Let's make sure we get this done."

Susy--I finally got to lay eyes on her. She had her back against the bus's doors and was absently staring into the ceiling with drool trailing out of her mouth. Saying she was pinned beneath a log was charitable. It was more like she was pinned beneath a log and its root system. It's amazing she wasn't impaled at all. She must have flattened herself against the door as soon as the side of the bus hit the ground or something.

"It'll be okay, Susy," said the girl kneeling by her head. She wiped the drool off Susy as the village men worked to cut through some of the roots.

That girl was "Haunting Tone." Apparently, she was a paranormal researcher who had come here chasing the legend of the hidden village. She had definitely earned a spot in my mind. She had a large green hat and short brown hair. Unlike Mei and Kia, she came here prepared and was wearing leather boots, thick pants, and gloves over an old button-up shirt that hung on her skinny frame. If I had to guess, Haunting was in her twenties. Susy though... maybe late teens or early twenties. It was a little harder with her. Her skin was pale, but I couldn't tell if that was because she didn't get enough sun or if it was her natural complexion. 

"Okay everyone," Lorio said. "Take positions and get ready."

There were going to be some degree of logistical challenges. The space around Susy was cramped. Most of the effort was expended clearing the root system so as to ensure that we could all stand by the log. 

That said, there still wasn't enough space after we cleared it. We just couldn't get all the burly villagers in to all lift the log. Then, we still had to deal with the moment immediately after the log had been loosened by the sawing. If we weren't there to grab it, the log would fall and crush Susy.

Lorio came up with a plan to give the cutter time to shift and the log lifters to lift. We attached a cable to the log which Lorio, and the two other wagon drivers would pull the moment it became loose, using the cable like a pulley. 

The moment came and we executed the plan.

"Go, guys, go! Get in position!" Lorio yelled.

At his call, Ryza took one side, with Pitter taking the other. These two were determined to be the "strongest" of the muscular ones. Then, Haunting and I--both boasting tinier frames--stood on either side next to Pitter and Ryza and helped with the lifting. Haunting wasn't anything noteworthy, but everyone was surprised when they saw how much I could lift despite my frame. This was undoubtedly the best configuration for the space.

"Thanks for helping, everyone!" Haunting yelled.

Lorio chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Haunting. Just keep lifting!"

With grunts and muscles, we lifted the log off of Susy.

"Haunting," I said. "Pull her out! Now!"

"Yes, Mari!"

Haunting acted quickly, pulling Susy out from beneath the log and ensuring she was well.

"We can release the log!" Pitter shouted.

"Releasing!" Lorio shouted back.

They let go of the log, and it slammed back into the bus door.

"Good teamwork, everyone," Lorio shouted. "Let's roll! Get the girl out!"

I climbed out of the bus's emergency hatch first and got my feet on the ground. Then, I grabbed Susy as Ryza lifted her towards me.

"You got her, Mari?"

"One hundred percent sure I do."

I pulled Susy out and set her down against the bus. 

"Wow," I said, pulling mist up with my hand. "It's as thick as soup."

"I know; it's so creepy," Haunting said as she stumbled out of the bus. She fell into the mist but lifted her head out of it and smiled. "This is what I live for!"

"Hmm. Right. Keep an eye on your friend."

"Sure, but she's not my friend," Haunting said as she kneeled beside her. "I mean, I'd love to make a friend, but we just met on the bus."

"Oh... I see. Sorry. I had the wrong impression."

"It's okay... Oh, could you hand me my bag? It's right over there on the stump--that black duffel bag."

"Of course." I walked over to the stump while the others climbed out of the bus and pulled the black duffel bag from the pile. It was a little heavier than I expected it to be. "What's Susy's bag look like?" I called.

"Don't know. I didn't see her with any bag."

I walked back to the girl and placed the bag beside her. 

"There's nothing in Susy's bag that could help her either way..."

"What do you mean?"

"Susy told me she was on medication."

I raised a brow. "Please, go on."

Haunting sighed. "She seemed like a really nice girl. She was happy to be getting out of the city. She said her medication was for the city's environment. But then when we got to the forest, she started getting a migraine."

"And that led to the psychotic break... Will we have to keep her sedated? That might be a drain on the town..."

Haunting looked down at Susy. "She's calm now..."

I looked into Susy's eyes. "Don't confuse calmness for psychosis."

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She quieted down again, her eyes stuck on Susy."

"Keep an eye on her, regardless. I'm just going to help the others out--"

"Hey! I think we've got to go now!" called a man emerging from the mist. He had a stockier build and wore heavy gear. Cargo pants, a vest with many pockets, and a useful hat--that must have been survival expert Mitch. "Something was moving in the mist! And those howls were getting closer!"

Another followed behind him. Given his looks and nasty stare, it must have been Kaz Kitanari.

Huh?

I rubbed my eyes and stared at Kaz again. I could hardly believe it. There were black wisps floating around him.

Anger and glee filled me up. Those wisps were something that one of my powers let me see.

"My power's waking up... Then... My mission continues..."

The wisps were flickering in and out like my power couldn't maintain consistent operation.

"Hey, Haunting. Those men there--those are Mitch, the survival expert, and Kaz, right?"

Haunting looked over at the two. "That's right... I wonder where the others are..."

"Mitch! Where are the others?" Lorio said, marching forward. 

"They went up the way to the wagons! We just came to get our stuff and scram with you guys!" He glanced at Susy. "You guys got her out? Great! Let's get out of here--"

A loud howl tore through the air. The crows--way more than we could see suddenly left the tree branches, blanketing out the dimming sky. Then many, many barks echoed. The flapping of the wings above us was generating a chilly breeze. 

"Keep calm, newbies! It's a scare tactic! We still have time," Pitter roared.

The mist was now so thick that I had a hard time making anything below my knees out. 

"I guess we're scramming--"

A shrill shriek erupted near me--

"Susy!"

--and a panicked Haunting called out to the wailing banshee sprinting away from the crash site.

"You're kidding me!" Ryza roared, watching and shaking with anger as Susy disappeared into the forest.

Lorio shook his head, angry. "That's it. We did all we could for that girl. Let's go, everyone! We're going to the wagons now!"

Haunting took a few steps before turning on her heels. "We can't just leave her!" she cried. "She's going in the opposite direction!"

"We are not chasing down someone like her! She'll get people killed!" Lorio yelled back. "Pitter, lead the way back to the wagons. Now."

"Aye... come on, everyone."

Haunting clenched her jaw and groaned. Then, she screamed, picked up her duffel bag, and took off.

"What are you doing!?" Lorio yelled. 

"I'm going to help Susy! You guys go on ahead! We'll be fine!"

And just like that, Haunting Tone ran off. 

Lorio was frustrated--his groan told us that much. "Come on, everyone! Move--"

"WHAT THE?!"

Once more, Lorio was interrupted; this time it was by the sleazy man, Kaz.

"My bag! My bag!" he yelled.

He was over by the stump with the remaining bags on it. He was holding a particular one--a black duffel bag.

"Uhoh," I whispered to myself.

Confirming my fears, he stared at Haunting as she disappeared.

"That bitch has my bag!"

The man didn't give Lorio any time to dissuade him; he just ran after the pair. The moment he took off, my decision was made. I took off after Kaz.

"Lorio! Don't waste your breath," I yelled. "I'm going after them."

This was it. This was the best shot at jump-starting my abilities. Heck, if I got lucky, maybe I'd get to see what's so scary firsthand.

Lorio's anguished yells echoed behind me. "Mari! Wait, no! Damn it!"

"Sorry, Lorio," I muttered, "but I can't ignore my calling."

I trained my eyes on Kaz's disappearing back.

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